Archive numbers
Each cartridge has a 6-digit archive number under which it is known in the archive system. This number must be identical with the volume serial number (VSN) with which the cartridge was initialized in the BS2000 system. The VSN is the identifier by which the cartridge is known to the BS2000 system. In this manual the terms “archive number” and “VSN” are used synonymously. “Archive number” may not be confused with the “number of the archive”. (see section "Creating the configuration files" in chapter "Working with multiple archives").
Archive organization
Each cartridge must carry a barcode label bearing the relevant VSN. The barcode label must be unique within the archive.
The archive system deposits a cartridge at any storage location which it knows. The storage location is entered in the archive record by ROBAR-SV.
Archive record (archive database)
The archive record is a database of ROBAR-SV for the archive systems which are controlled by ROBAR via the SCSI interface.
At every startup ROBAR checks the status of the archive system and creates a new archive record. The archive record contains information on the cartridge storage locations and the available cartridges. While it is running ROBAR-SV maintains the archive record exclusively in the main memory.
ROBAR has no information function of its own via the archive record. An overview of the cartridges and storage locations is offered by the archive system’s administration interface (see the fifth paragraph in chapter "Archive systems Scalar i500 and i6000 (SCSI interface)" and the manufacturer’s documentation ([15])).
Initial stocking of cartridges in the archive
Depending on the size of the archive, initial cartridge stocking is carried out either manually or automatically.
The cartridges must have a barcode label bearing the relevant VSN. But they need not be initialized. The user is free to decide on the VSNs. It is not necessary to place the cartridges in the order of their VSNs.
For information on cleaning cartridges see section "Device cleaning and cleaning cartridges".
Partition
Partitions of a Scalar i500 or i6000 archive system are subdivisions of the real archive system into multiple logical archive systems. Each partition (each logical archive system) separates the applications running there, the connections to a server system and the data used from other partitions.
Consequently you can control precisely one partition exclusively in a real Scalar i500 or i6000 archive system with one ROBAR-SV instance.
Only cartridges with unique VSNs may be located in a partition of the archive system because ROBAR-SV always uses the first VSN found in the archive record for requests.